San Francisco police believe missing 2-year-old is alive, in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco police today announced a $10,000 reward that they hope will bring in new clues to the whereabouts of 2-year-old Arianna Fitts, the missing toddler whose mother, Nicole Fitts, was found murdered in April.

Commander Greg McEachern said at a press conference today that police are "confident" that Arianna was being cared for by acquaintances of her mother and that they are the last ones to know her whereabouts. However, those individuals initially gave conflicting statements to investigators and are now refusing to cooperate further.

WATCH VIDEO: SF police have no concrete leads after mother killed, toddler missing

"I think she's still in the Bay Area and I think she's still alive," McEachern said.

"What's difficult for us in law enforcement, we deal with homicides all the time but you not only have a homicide but you have a missing 2-year-old girl," McEachern said. "You look at her picture and she's just an innocent little girl, and she doesn't deserve whatever has happened to her."

Nicole Fitts was found dead at McLaren Park on the morning of April 8 by Recreation and Park Department employees, buried in a shallow grave near a playground and covered with a plywood board. Police have not released a cause of death.

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She was last seen on the night of April 1, when she went to meet a person known to her, and was reported missing by her family on April 5, according to police. McEachern said police have obtained video showing Nicole Fitts near the area where her body was later found.

The family also alerted police at that time that Nicole's daughter, Arianna, was missing. Police said Arianna, who sometimes stayed with caregivers for extended periods while her mother worked, was last seen in February.

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Contessa Fitts, Nicole's sister, today said that her sister was a giving person who worked long hours to support her children and rarely took time for herself.

"I know that what she wants is for Arianna to be home with family," a visibly emotional Contessa said today. "Help us, help Nicole, find Arianna and bring her home. Our hearts are just breaking every day that we're not seeing her."

McEachern said police have executed search warrants at locations in Oakland, Emeryville and Daly City in an effort to locate Arianna and also followed up on leads in Southern California. Police are also reviewing computer, cell phone and financial records and the FBI has been brought in to assist in the search.

Nicole Fitts was an employee at the Best Buy on Harrison Street in San Francisco, and the store today announced a $10,000 reward for information in the case.